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Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Guide

Shirdi is another auspicious and holy place of the Hindus where lies the great and divine temple of Sai Baba. Sai Baba is considered by the Hindus, a divine person who appeared on this earth to spread the message of God and take mankind on the path of good. It was at Shirdi where Sai Baba was found as a child and then magically disappeared. Later in his life, Baba once again came to Shirdi and decided to stay in the city forever. Thus, after Baba left the earth, a grand temple was built for him and it is believed that Sai Baba still fulfills the wish of those who come to get a glimpse of him with a pure heart. 

In this guide, we will let you know every detail you must know before visiting this Shirdi. This blog contains a detailed explanation of how you can plan your trip including how to find hotel rooms, food, transport, Prashad, and the overall expense of the trip. In addition to this, some helpful tips will help you make your trip easy and budget-friendly. There is also a list of places that you can visit apart from the Shirdi Sai Baba temple. 

How to reach Shirdi?

Shirdi is situated in the state of Maharashtra and lies near cities like Mumbai, Nasik, and Pune. Thus, you need to reach any of these major cities at your convenience and from there you can easily reach Shirdi. 

Although several trains reach directly to Shirdi, from most cities transport facilities are connected to Nasik, Pune, and Mumbai. 

After you have reached Nasik, Pune, or Mumbai from your city, you can easily find a bus to Shirdi. 

Mumbai is at a distance of 250 km from Shirdi whereas Pune is 200 km far from Shirdi and thus the bus takes around 5 to 6 hours to reach there. Both AC and Non-AC buses are available from these cities. 

The cost of a Bus from these cities is mentioned below:

Pune -> Shirdi: Rs 295 (Non-AC)/ Rs 440 (AC)

Mumbai -> Shirdi: Rs 350 (Non-AC)/ Rs 500 (AC) 

Lodging and Food Centers

If you reach Shirdi via train or flight you can easily find good and affordable hotel rooms near the temple. Although the temple is a little far away from the railway station and airport. 

The Sai Baba Temple is just half a kilometer away from Shirdi Bus Stand whereas it is 3 km away from the railway station and 14 km away from the airport. In case you are coming by train or flight, it is suggested to take local transport to Shirdi Sai Baba temple or the bus stand and then find rooms to stay in. This will not only save you time but also help you to explore nearby places easily.

If you are reaching Shirdi via Bus, you easily find affordable hotel rooms and food joints as soon as you move out of the bus stand. There are hotel rooms available with three bedrooms and another option to stay can be dormitories which are also available at a cheap cost. 

The cost of hotel rooms and dormitories are:

AC Room (With 3 People capacity): Rs 900

Non-AC Room (With 3 People capacity): Rs 500

Dormitories: Rs 100/person

Shirdi has many places to visit apart from the Sai Baba Temple and thus it is suggested to take a rest on the day you reach Shirdi and start exploring the next day morning. Although, if you don’t want a hotel room and just want to visit the temple, you can find a luggage counter just outside the bus stand where you can drop all your luggage completely free of cost and visit the temple.

Staying near the Shirdi Sai Baba temple can provide you with a lot of benefits. Talking about the food joints, there are many small shops and street stalls from where you can buy food at a very cheap rate. You can have food like Vada Pav, Khichdi, Tikki, and others at a very genuine price. 

From a distance of 1 km from the Dwarkamai temple, you can find a free food center which is open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm. Although since the place is quite crowded, you will have to wait in queue for some time before you get the meal.

At Shirdi, near the temple area, you can easily find good and cheap Dhabas or Restaurants where you can get a full Thali between Rs 80 to Rs 120.

Moving about 1 km far from the main Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, there is also the availability of “Dharamshalas” which cost extremely affordable. The cost of staying at Dharamshala is around Rs 20 for 24 hours. Although the quality of rooms can differ from place to place. 

Bhaktiniwas Rooms

The complete maintenance and care of the Shirdi Sai Baba temple are done by the Sai Baba Board. This authority has also built Bhaktiniwas at different places in Shirdi, generally near the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple. Here you can find many rooms at affordable prices. 

The arrangements to stay at Bhaktiniwas are quality assured and good. 

The rate of rooms at Bhaktiniwas are: 

AC Room (3 people) -> Rs 900

Non-AC Room (3 people) -> Rs 500

Even if you are more than three people and want to stay in a single room, you can do so at Rs 50/person extra.

The bookings of Bhaktiniwas can be done online at its website or you can also book rooms by reaching there on spot. The Bhaktiniwas also has many services available for tourists staying there which also includes a canteen where food is available at cheap rates.

In addition to the above facilities, people staying at the Bhaktiniwas are also provided with a free bus service with which they can reach the temple directly and come back. This service is offered only to people staying at the Bhaktiniwas. 

The Dwarkamai Temple

As you walk near the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple you will find a complete complex or particular area where many other temples are situated. This area is also covered by a huge market where you can buy different items and do some shopping. 

Before visiting the Shirdi Sai Baba temple you can visit the Dwarkamai temple. This temple is known as a spot where Shri Sai Baba lived for over 60 years and is thus considered an auspicious place to visit.

Shri Chavadi Temple

Ahead of the Dwarkamai temple lies Shri Chavadi Mandir which is another auspicious place and a must-visit for people. Shri Chavadi Temple is situated at the place where Sai Baba used to come with his followers and spent the day guiding people in the right direction.

At the Shri Chavadi Temple, you can also witness the “Charan Padukas” of Shri Sai Baba.

In front of Shri Chavadi Temple is Haji Abdul Baba’s cottage which is another famous spot to visit.

Shirdi Sai Baba Temple 

After visiting the above temples, it is now turn to visit the main Shirdi Sai Baba Temple. 

The timings of Shirdi Sai Baba temple are from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm.

If you are planning to visit the temple on weekdays, the best days to visit the temple are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. And the best time can be 2:00 pm. At this time, the temple is usually the least crowded and thus you can get the darshan of Sai Baba easily and quickly. 

The entry to the temple is from gate no 2.

As soon as you enter the temple you will find another temple “Dakshin Mukhi Hanuman Ji” that you can visit.

In the Shirdi Sai Baba temple, aarti is done three times a day. So if you want to witness the aarti of Shirdi Sai Baba you can try to reach a suitable time. 

The timings of aarti at Shirdi Sai Baba are:

Noon Aarti -> 11:15 am – 1:00 pm

Dhup Aarti -> Half an hour before and after the aarti

Shej Aarti -> At 10:00 pm

Cameras, mobile phones, electronic items, bags, and purses are not allowed inside the temple campus. Although wallets can be carried inside without any restrictions.

As soon as you enter the temple campus, you can find a Prashad counter from where you can buy Prashad. The cost of Prashad widely differs and thus you can buy any Prashad at your convenience. 

The cost of Prashad ranges between Rs 200 to Rs 500.

To get the darshan of Shirdi Sai Baba you will have to walk some distance for around 5 minutes before you reach the place where you can get the darshan. Generally, on weekdays the temple is the least crowded and thus you can get darshan very quickly in about 10 minutes only. If you are planning to visit the temple on Thursday or weekends, you may find a lot of crowds and it is possible to wait for two hours in the queue. 

On any day of the week, there is also the availability to get fast darshan. The cost of getting a fast darshan of Shirdi Sai Baba is Rs 200 per person.  

Places to visit in Shirdi

After visiting the Shirdi Sai Baba temple there are several other spots where you can spend time and enjoy Shirdi. As soon as you move out of the temple you can do a lot of shopping and buy budget-friendly items as per your choice. 

Around the temple campus, you will also get easily available water ATMs where drinkable water is available at Rs 1/ltr.

  1. Khandoba Temple

Moving out of the temple campus, in front of the bus stand, is built the auspicious Khandoba temple. This temple is another famous spot to visit in Shirdi. It is the first place where Shri Sai Baba stayed when he first came to Shirdi. 

  • Sai Devotional Theme Park 

Another great spot to visit in Shirdi is the Sai Devotional theme park which depicts the tales of Shirdi Sai Baba. The ticket to the park costs Rs 399/person and including GST it costs around Rs 470. 

Here you can witness the complete life of Shri Sai Baba through visual graphics and other technologies. All over, this theme park will take around 3 hours to explore completely. 

  • Shirdi Water Park

Just in front of the Sai Devotional Theme Park is built a water park which can be another great place to spend time excluding the winter season. The park is built like any other normal water park and is an enjoyable place.  

Total Expenses

The trip to Shirdi is overall a cheap one and if you find the right guides like ours, your trip can be extremely budget-friendly and fun. Calculating the overall cost of the trip, the maximum this trip can cost you if you include all the necessary things will be Rs 1500. This price is calculated based on the below expenses:

One Day cost

Hotel: Rs 1000

Meals: Rs 300

Transport: Rs 200

Thus, a total of Rs 1500 can be the overall cost per person when coming to Shirdi. This cost can even be split further when more than one person is staying at the hotel together. Apart from this, the cost of traveling to Shirdi is not included in this list since it can differ from city to city. Also, this price includes all the necessities when coming to Shirdi. If you are planning to visit other places like the Sai devotional theme park and water park then you will have to spend some more extra amount.

Conclusion

We hope this guide helps you to plan your trip to Shirdi. Overall, a one-day trip to Shirdi is enough to explore and enjoy the city. People from all over India come to visit this temple and daily there are lacs of people who get the darshan of Shree Sai Baba. 

We hope you also become among those people who will get the darshan of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba and enjoy this trip to the fullest. Hoping for your safe and enjoyable journey to Shirdi, we will find you in another blog taking you to yet another interesting and enjoyable place. 

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Honey Dew

    Hello Sir,

    I am reading your paragraph on Shirdi, a holy place in Maharashtra, renowned for the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple. Sai Baba, a revered figure in Hinduism, is believed to grant wishes to those with a pure heart. This guide provides essential details for planning a trip to Shirdi, including travel, accommodation, food, and costs. Easily accessible from Mumbai, Pune, and Nasik by bus or train, Shirdi offers affordable hotels, dormitories, and Bhaktiniwas rooms managed by the Sai Baba Board, with a free bus service to the temple. Other notable sites include the Dwarkamai Temple, Shri Chavadi Temple, and the Sai Devotional Theme Park. A well-planned trip can be spiritually fulfilling and cost around Rs 1500. Thank you for this helpful information.

  2. gaadi

    It’s awesome initiative information for me thanks for sharing this article my favourite city in shirdi India

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